Encouragement and Advise from a Fellow Caregiver

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Chat @ Care-giving: May I have the envelope please?

And the winner is…Are you still with me? We began this process back in June. You’ve laughed and suffered along with me through frustrations, discoveries, a death and a fall. Thank you so much.

If I said Mom and Dad decided to move to the property which served three meals a day, would you know which one it was? That’s right! They’re moving to Door Number One.

Well, I’m happy to announce Door Number One is Whiterock Court. The features which sold my parents on the property are:

Location, location location

Three meals a day, seven days a week, included with their monthly rent

Co-managing couples who live on site

A sense Mom had that the people who already lived there were more like her than at the rest of the properties

And a social director who used to sing on The Lawrence Welk Show

OK, I lied. The social director did sing on The Lawrence Welk Show, but that’s not why Ruth and George chose Whiterock Court.

I’d like to say that they chose Whiterock Court because it had absolutely everything they wanted, but then I’d be lying again. The fact of the matter is that nowhere is going to have everything anyone wants. If you’re on this journey, the quicker you give up on finding perfection, the quicker you’re going to be able to make a good decision for the future. The real trick is not finding the perfect place, but the place that best fits your needs and your lifestyle.

If you are looking for a retirement property, I can tell you that Whiterock Court is an excellent choice. The property itself is lovely and the staff is extraordinary. The list of services is almost endless, because they really will do whatever they can to make living at their property feel like living at home.

I have to say, however, that I stacked the deck. My parents could not have made a bad choice out with the three selections I presented to them. Allow me to share the names of the other two finalists.

Door Number Two is Churchill Estates. If I woke up in the morning and had to move to a retirement facility myself, then I’d be moving into Churchill Estates. However, the very things which attract me to Churchill are the ones that made my parents feel it was not their cup of tea. Churchill Estates is brand new and very upscale. The food is gourmet and the style is luxurious. Happy hours and wine tastings, workout equipment and yoga, spa services and a high tech media room reflect my lifestyle much more than they do my parents. The location was perfect for my parents and everything else was top of the line, so why wouldn’t I think it was a good option for Ruth and George? If the senior you’re shopping for sounds more like me than Mom and Dad, they’ll love Churchill Estates.

Door Number Three is Christian Care Center. The race between Whiterock Court and Christian Care Center was so close that we were hours away from an appointment to pick out an apartment at Christian Care Center, before Mom got cold feet. The reason she decided against Christian Care had nothing to do with which property best fit her lifestyle and everything to do with her own fears – all of which were unfounded, but still kept her awake at night. In fact, Mom liked the actual apartment at Christian Care Center more than she does the one that she rented.

Because Whiterock Court and Christian Care Center were both such good fits for my parents, the entire family agonized over which would be the best choice. Had Mom chosen Christian Care Center over Whiterock Court, her reasons for doing so would have looked like this:

A more spacious floor plan which included a full kitchen and a washer and dryer.

More options for meals

Assisted living on the same property if it were needed

A better gym/workout facility

So, if you are looking for a retirement facility in East Dallas, Whiterock Court, Churchill Estates and Christian Care Centers are all excellent choices. I highly recommend that you take a look at each of them before you make a selection that fits what you are looking for.

But finding the right property is only one part of this equation. Next week I’ll be back and I’ll continue to share my care-taking journey with you in the hopes that something that happens in my family will make this whole care-taking thing easier or better for you.

Jane Sadek

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About Jane The Caregiver

Hi – Welcome to Chat@Caregiving.

Blogging has been a journey for me. I started blogging because someone in a seminar told me that all writers should – three times a week. I took their advice.

I discovered my travel posts were my biggest draw and for me, writing about caregiving was more of a burden than a joy. But as a caregiver, I know there are a lot of folks out there looking for advise and encouragement as they travel their own caregiving paths. So, I moved my caregiving posts over to this blog, rather than leave them lost among the planes, trains and automobiles.

If you're here, I hope your caregiving is going well and something I've posted here is of value to you. After my mom's life was over, I was at a loss for awhile. I'd been out of the career mode for several years and needed a running start to pick up speed. I tried a little of this and a little of that and after a few years found my niche. I'm Senior Writer and Volunteer Coordinator for Global heart Ministries. I blog for them at http://globalheartministries.wordpress.com. Go take a look. You'll love what they do.

Thanks for dropping by. If you’d like to read more about me or by me, go to http://janesadek.wordpress.com or http://faithtalking.wordpress.com/about/.